The seeded start of Civ: Beyond Earth

[sisko]

The seeded start is somehow a simplified faction editor. You have to decide the sponsor, the crew, the spacecraft and also the cargo that you take with you. Each choice will influence the future course of your new civilization.

Let's take it one at a time, but keep in mind that all bonuses are subject to change (that's what the developers say):



Sponsor Abilities:

• ARC: +25% speed on cover ops, plus 25% bonus on intrigue generated
• Pan Asian Cooperative: +10% production towards Wonders, +25% worker speed
• Franco-Iberia: 1 free tech per 10 virtues developed
• Slavic Federation: +20% duration on satellites. First satellite gives a free tech
• Polystralia: Cities able to Send Trade routes may support one more Trade Route than normal
• Kavithan Protectorate: Outposts develop into cities 50% faster
• Brasilia: Units have +10% combat strength in melee combat
• African Union: +10% Food in Cities when healthy

Additional colonists:

• Scientists: +2 science in every city
• Refugees: +2 food in every city
• Aristocrats: +3 energy and +1 health in every city
• Engineers: +2 production in every city
• Artists: +2 culture and +1 health in every city

Spacecraft:

• Continental Surveyor: Reveals coasts on map
• Retrograde Thrusters: Wider area for choosing where to land first city (With) (Without)
• Tectonic Scanner: No tech needed to see petroleum, geothermal and titanium resources
• Fusion Reactor: Begin with 100 energy
• Lifeform Sensor: Reveal Alien Nests on map

Cargo:

• Hydroponics: Begin with one extra population in your first city
• Laboratory: Begin with Pioneering technology (allows production of colonists)
• Raw Materials: Begin with Clinic building in your first city (gives Science and Health)
• Weapon Arsenal: Begin with soldier unit
• Machinery: Begin with worker unit

Now let's count:
8 sponsors to choose from
5 colonists to choose from
5 different spacecrafts
5 options for the cargo
that's: 8*5*5*5=8*125=1,000 possible combinations with only 8 factions in the game!

So, do we have enough variety? 
Can this lead to different approaches to the game?

[BlaneckW]

I'd rather have a layout/explanation of the tech tree.

[sisko]

I'd rather have a layout/explanation of the tech tree.

that's next on my To-Do List.

anything on the seeded start?

[Yitzi]

Now let's count:
8 sponsors to choose from
5 colonists to choose from
5 different spacecrafts
5 options for the cargo
that's: 8*5*5*5=8*125=1,000 possible combinations with only 8 factions in the game!

You forgot purity/supremacy/harmony, so 3,000 possible combinations.

[sisko]

Well, you don't have to choose an affinity from the start.. but yes, there are 1,000 starting points and three main paths that you can follow (purity/supremacy/harmony), so yeah.. that makes 3,000 different games for us to play.

[BlaneckW]

anything on the seeded start?

Get the food or workers and spam ICS.  While being weary of planet life, I guess.

[SenniTreborius]

I like the look of this, but I will be waiting for the first patch before buying as I prefer to play on a patched game nowadays.

[gwillybj]

I'm still not sure I'll get this game, but I like the variety of possibilites. 
Given what's publicized so far, I think my first game would be:
Polystralia: Cities able to Send Trade routes may support one more Trade Route than normal.
Engineers: +2 production in every city.
Continental Surveyor: Reveals coasts on map.
Machinery: Begin with worker unit.
Purity.

[Othniel]

I think I'd go African Union with Aristocrats, Retrograde Thrusters to choose the best city location and get some scouting done and the clinic. This gives me a rounded start with +2 health, which should make it easy to grow early on. +3 Energy, +2 Health, and +1 Science with +10% Food sounds like a really good capital to me. From there it depends on the map.

[sisko]

I see lots of different preferences for your starting games. I'll let you finish those games and then, when November comes, we'll start our first Civilization: Beyond Earth game of the month. Nothing fancy (unlike the AC ones), just fixed starting options and we'll try to figure out together the best strategies..

Anyone interested?

[Green1]

If I manage to get the game in time, I will check it out. I will also probably start supporting it with an AAR or two.

anything on the seeded start?

Get the food or workers and spam ICS.  While being weary of planet life, I guess.

Blaneck, if it retains a Civ 5 legacy, I will assume ICS will be very hard to do just like in Civ 5 and you will need to be very careful where you place a base. It will not be practical to place a base anywhere just to be placing bases. Most of the more modern 4xs have harsh penalties for cities everywhere. Harsher than SMAX's bureaucracy drones.

[Geo]

Maybe a bit too soon?
I reckon I'll use the random option more with this game, especially with the maps. Forgot if you can have random cargo, colonists, and spacecraft options.

[BlaneckW]

Blaneck, if it retains a Civ 5 legacy, I will assume ICS will be very hard to do just like in Civ 5 and you will need to be very careful where you place a base. It will not be practical to place a base anywhere just to be placing bases. Most of the more modern 4xs have harsh penalties for cities everywhere. Harsher than SMAX's bureaucracy drones.

What a nonsensical solution. Cities should be replaced with a new interface a la provinces.

[Green1]

Blaneck, if it retains a Civ 5 legacy, I will assume ICS will be very hard to do just like in Civ 5 and you will need to be very careful where you place a base. It will not be practical to place a base anywhere just to be placing bases. Most of the more modern 4xs have harsh penalties for cities everywhere. Harsher than SMAX's bureaucracy drones.

What a nonsensical solution. Cities should be replaced with a new interface a la provinces.

Well, in Civ 5, it was overcome somewhat through some social policies. So, you could still have large, sprawling empires. But, I think the days of cities 2 hexes/squares from each other covering entire land masses are gone forever. This is probably a good thing, though the case could be justified by the peculiar cases of suburbs meeting suburbs of other cities in modern times to where it would be hard to tell where one municipality ends and the others begin.

Although, being able to divide territories into provinces does have merit. Oftentimes in many different genres of 4xs from historical to high fantasy to sci fi, I have wished for that ability.

[sisko]

Blaneck, if it retains a Civ 5 legacy, I will assume ICS will be very hard to do just like in Civ 5 and you will need to be very careful where you place a base. It will not be practical to place a base anywhere just to be placing bases. Most of the more modern 4xs have harsh penalties for cities everywhere. Harsher than SMAX's bureaucracy drones.

Well, in Civ 5, it was overcome somewhat through some social policies. So, you could still have large, sprawling empires. But, I think the days of cities 2 hexes/squares from each other covering entire land masses are gone forever.

The anti-ICS system of Civ: Beyond Earth is called Health :
http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=12784